Labor’s Bloody History

Posted on by MichaelPellegrini

Strikers get clubbed by police

The period in American history leading up from the Civil War to World War II was particularly violent and bloody for labor. It was through that struggle that many of the very most basic rights we enjoy today came about. These include:

  • Abolition of child labor
  • The eight hour day
  • Unemployment insuance
  • Social security
  • The right to form and join unions, and bargain collectively

To give a glimpse of the background that led up to these changes, here’s a list of the major strikes that took place in the United States from after the Civil War on (courtesy of Wikipedia):

1850-1899

20th century

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940’s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

21st century